Golden Glade It's been established that time is not a rigid construct.

She hadn't eaten in (what felt like) days. It could've been weeks for all she knew. It became apparent the longer she was awake and the more she traveled that there was something wrong with her. That the fog that had descended upon the morning was more than just an icy mist clinging to the earth. There was something foggy about the thoughts in her own head. 

That's stupid, Bronze murmured to herself as she roamed the hinterlands. There's nothing wrong with me. I mean aside from being hungry, and tired, and occasionally throwing up bile because the vertigo makes everything so uncomfortable — wait. Why am I talking?

There was nobody to talk to here. It felt like she was talking just for the sake of hearing her own voice; but surely she hadn't been roaming this place for that long? What had come before this? Before the ice and snow, the big lake, the whistling elk from hours ago — ?

In realizing she hadnt' the foggiest idea, Bronze was overwhelmed by a sense of worrisome silence. Her feet stopped moving and she came to a halt beneath a copse of trees layered thickly with icicles and fresh snow, and she waited there while trying to remember. But she couldn't, and it was unnerving.

[table width=80%][tr][td]

The cold helped. In fact, the cold helped so much that for the time she spent in this new, wintery terrain, her condition seemed sated. The normal symptoms of withdrawal should've kicked in by then, Lulu was sure. Though it seemed that rather than the intense waves of pain which she would have expected, she was instead bathed in incredible amounts of energy. She bounded through the wonderland, catching lone snowflakes on her nose and kicking them up behind her as she ran amok, yipping as though she was no more than a clueless yearling. Rather than that, she was a free spirit, temporarily free of the chains kept in place by her own addiction.

Lulu stopped travelling so recklessly once another wolf came into view. She looked to be conditioned for the winter, or so said her pale coat. It wasn't white like some of the others who Lulu had come across, but it was a soft enough color to match all the same. Lulu hesitated, though decided after a moment's thought to bark a greeting to the other. Aloha. Anei oe mai keia wahi? Then, once she realized that only a moment ago the woman was speaking English, Lulu corrected herself. I'm Lulu.

[/tr][/td][/table]

Try as she might, Bronze couldn't remember enough.
She knew her name — that was a good sign. She knew that there had been something before, but couldn't recall specifics. There was no pain so any injury she had sustained must have healed (or been nominal at best). The girl sat in thought for a handful of minutes before she heard the crunching of snow-under-paw and whipped her attention to the shadows around her.

And just like that, all her worries evaporated.

The stranger was odd, but seemed eager to be close to Bronze. They were out of breath (she could see dissipating clouds of air spreading from around their face) and after a pause, advanced and called out. The words overflowing from the stranger's mouth made Bronze a little nervous; she didn't recognize them and yet, not being able to recognize much, she felt like maybe she should recognize them.

One of us must be a foreigner to this place, because I have no idea what the hell you just said. I mean, what kind of language was that? Am I speaking it? Do I sound like what you sound like? I hope not — I mean, no offense. Once her tangent came near its finale Bronze seemed to wisen up to her own tongue's wandering nature.

Lulu smiled at the stranger; she couldn't find the energy to be angry, so she used the last of her wind to have a well-earned laugh. My mistake; I forget who I'm speaking to sometimes. You sound fine, by the way. All I asked was if you were from here. Given the tribulations faced in her more recent days, it was rare for Lulu to be able to have a sober conversation with anyone, so she wanted to savor the moment. With her head cocked and her ears cupped forward, the sylph continued to speak. Are you enjoying the snow? I'm not a fan, personally, but it does make for a decent view. The world around them was illuminated perfectly by the early rising sun. Ice glistened in the midst of the rays, the snow shone back like the waters reflecting the moonlight. Not quite the same, but beautiful nonetheless.

To be perfectly honest, Bronze didn't like the snow. In fact she hated it. The old Bronze did anyways. This one -- well, she couldn't recall. There was a vague sense of discomfort associated with the stuff each time she stepped in a deep patch, but that gross feeling always ebbed away quickly.

I could be. All the trees look the same and I think.. I think I've been wandering around in circles for a while now, maybe forever, so maybe this is my home. How weird is that? And then there's you — where are you from? Are we in the same pack? No, scratch that. You're not familiar and I feel like I'd recognize someone speaking in tongues, especially with the polka-dots; what are you, part deer? It was going to be a very strange conversation. One half being a forgetful and dain-bramaged person and the other being a (currently sober) drug addict.

...

jhala's eyes narrowed as she saw the two in the territory. she'd scented them, but she wasn't aware that they were already in their land. as she grew nearer, she let out a low growl. "you're inside the borders of the golden glade, don't you have a nose?" she asked them, tail lashing. she didn't look like she would attack, but she was on edge. the woman was large and burly, and had no times for games inside their own territory. where these two aware of what they had done? or were they just plain stupid. she waited.

No, I'm not part deer. It just runs in the family. Why had the other been wandering alone for so long? Was she lost? And if so, was she lost in the same way that Lulu was? Then another was upon them, obviously territorial and aggressive in her demeanor. Perhaps if their borders had been marked better, then they wouldn't have made the mistake of crossing. I do have a nose, yes. I think your borders could use some upkeep, though. Lulu was ready to leave before the situation became more heated than it needed to. Not that she couldn't talk her way out of it, but she simply preferred to not have to.

Could you perhaps not use so much coding in Lulu's posts? I think its eating replies & tinkering with other posts. :(

Bronze was, quite honestly, an idiot. Whether she had amnesia or not, she had always been a bit dim. Had she been aware of the scent upon the lands — and been closer to her old self — she would have most likely traipsed beyond the edge on purpose to prove to herself she could.

But this time when a stranger appeared, all puffed up and angsty and defensive, she shrank back and ducked. Whatever conversation she had been having with the spotted wolf was promptly tossed to the wayside; it wasn't as important as the stuff coming out of the burly lady's mouth.

The first thing that came to Bronze's mind was, Oh my god is that a man? You don't sound like a man. But I did hear about this one guy who was born without 'nads, and maybe you're like that. Nad-free. Which would make sense since you're so huge — like seriously — oh, I think I'm doing the thing again. For a second her mouth hung open, but then she made a point to clamp it shut with a click.

Her main issue after that was: trying to convince this beat-up looking lady that she wasn't a threat, and meant no harm, and was very very sorry she couldn't stop her chops from flapping; even now it was like she was trying to hold her breath or something to stop herself from putting those thoughts in to words.

jhala almost snapped at the two right away. borders needing upkeep her ass, they were new and every member was pulling their weight in keeping the borders fresh. the other was just an absolute idiot. her teeth bared a bit, but her ears pricked towards the other as she began to speak. she stared in disbelief, struggling to figure out what the fuck the woman was talking about. "i'm a woman," she said lowly, her eyes narrowed. but she didn't attack right away, a bit confused now.

the one who had offended her-- possibly, she was still unsure what had just happened-- had shrunk to the ground submissively. a good thing, jhala wasn't going to harm her. she had realized her mistake and was clearly apologetic for it-- or maybe for her word babbling, but she was submissive nonetheless. the other was stupid and offended her even more with her retort. "get the fuck out," she growl, making a step towards the other(lulu), "you don't want trouble."

assuming she had left, and the other hadn't gone with, jhala looked to the stranger who was ducked to the ground. "you have a name?"

Lulu smirked, seeing as she'd obviously gotten a reaction out of the burly woman. With her friend babbling on the ground, she almost wanted to bite back a remark, though she chose not to. Perhaps one day she would come back with a strong retort, but for now, her smartest move was to exit. With a sigh, Lulu looked down at her friend, then pushed her head backward as the presumed Alphess barked in her face. Neither do you. With a wink and a lash of her tail, Lulu trotted away with her usual regal gait, though inside, her heart was pounding against her chest. Assuming a bark or a growl would have followed her away, she sped up her pace until she could be sure she was out of the territory.

Last from Lulu!

And just like that, she was abandoned. Should Bronze have felt annoyed by the quick escape of her new friend? Maybe. She was a bit surprised by the turn of events but that was due to her mind already filtering out bits and bobs from her day's struggle. When Lulu departed, so too went all memory of her. This left a strange sensation within Bronze — and caused a brief but intense confusion — because she knew she had been here for a while and talking with someone, but not the person that was currently bearing down upon her.

The girl was tense and as flat as can be, trying to look small. When asked for her name she confidently replied, Oh I know that one! I'm Bronze. and despite the different emotions bubbling in her (and drifting away) she sounded extremely pleased with herself.

the other-- bronze-- responded, and jhala nodded. "cool-- i'm jhala," she replied, her gaze flitting to the other obnoxious woman as she left. when it returned to bronze, her ears cupped forward. "do you live around here?" she asked, eyeing her. something about the woman reminded her of tapat, and she couldn't figure out why. she looked nothing like her son, and tapat was far better mannered-- he knew better than to insult a stranger, but something seemed off. maybe that was why she didn't chase her off right away-- or maybe it was something else.

As if she hadn't just been having the same conversation with Lulu only minutes earlier, Bronze perked up and responded to Jhala's questions without pause:

Maybe. I've been wandering around in circles for days — woah, deja vu. Partway through her explanation Bronze looked a bit stunned, sat up, and waited until the strange vertigo-like sensation ebbed from her brain. She shook her head as if the action would make something slide out of her ear and fix her, then continued.

Gosh this place is so big. Do you live here? You're big and strong looking, so it makes sense you'd come from a place like this. I... I think I could've come from here, but maybe not, I'm smaller after all. I guess I could be from somewhere cold; but this place, there's snow everywhere! Maybe — oh, I dunno. She sighed and deflated, laying flat on her belly again on the ground, this time plopping her face down on her crossed paws with a grim little frown.

jhala nodded, but frowned. wandered? why had she been wandering? and in circles? as a wolf that was sort of hard to do. surely her nose would've kicked in and been like 'hey! you've seen this rock before, let's try a different direction!' or something. jhala watched her for a second, finding herself reminded of tapat yet again.

as the other blabbered on, jhala let out a soft breathe and glanced behind her. "yeah, i live here. with my mate and my kids and a few other wolves... i dunno if you came from here but you can stay if ya want," she said, the offer said slower than the rest. she seemed distant, and it made jhala feel like she wouldn't completely understand her offer-- or maybe she would, and the burly alphess would just look like a dick. "you're in the golden glade right now."

Stay? She parroted, as if the word itself was so foreign that even her tongue had difficulty with it. An invitation suggested to Bronze that she wasn't from here. That perhaps she'd really been wandering for days, but maybe not in circles. She was concerned for a minute or two but quickly got over it — having a place to rest and recouperate would be good. Provided of course she didn't forget about Jhala or the Golden Glade as soon as her back was turned.

Golden Glade. That's a bit of a misnomer isn't it? I mean I don't see anything gold around here except those... Yellow patches over there, she tossed her nose towards the borders she had so blatantly crossed over, and upon mentioning them, realized that she had been trespassing — no wonder Jhala had been so uppity! But I guess it gets pretty and gold and stuff outside of winter? Hm, I bet its really nice — and so are you, for offering! I'd love to stay!

Of course, how long she stayed depended on her addled brain, so who knows if she'd be true to her word.

jhala shrugged. "probs just winter," she said, following her gaze to the dirty grass and then towards the borders. something seemed to register with bronze at that moment, but she didn't make a statement about it-- her face just changed. but she accepted! thrilled that they would have another member, jhala grinned happily, her tail waving. she wondered if she and the others would get along, and specifically if she and tapat would find things in common with each other... or if she'd stay. regardless, jhala was happy their little gathering was growing.

"great!" jhala chirped, "well, i run this place with my mate reek. he's the dark guy that runs around here if you see him." she glanced into the territory, ears perked. "i can show you around if you want?" 

so glad to have you!! i hope bronze sticks around ;) we can fade with your post if you want. we're working on getting all 10 of our threads to become an official pack, but if you want to thread with anyone in GG, our members are @Reek, @Moonbrook @Tambourine @Silas @Tapat @Astik and @Laurel! 

Fade here? :D

Bronze gave a nod but was quiet for a change, finding her mind going blank. When Jhala continued to speak she sounded thrilled this time, and went on to explain who Reek was — and halfway through her explanation Bronze had to blurt, That's a weird name for a person. Imagine if that was a family name, oh my god. I hope your kids aren't called Stink, Stench, or Smog. but almost as soon as she'd made this (midly impolite) barrage of thoughts into words, Bronze's mind seemed to click, because she recognized that she hadn't meant to be rude, or to say those things, and frowned subtly.

She did her best to focus on what Jhala had said — as if that would banish all mention of her own comments from the conversation — and gregariously agreed. I'd love a tour! Yeah, lets do that. But maybe stay close, I don't want to get lost again. The girl was already moving towards the direction Jhala had been looking, and effectively herding her off to the depths of the glade.